Coming back from a trade show with a stack of new leads is great, but spending hours manually typing them into a spreadsheet is a total headache.

To save you from that boredom, you need an app that instantly digitizes those physical cards using AI. That’s why we’ve compiled an overview of the top 6 scanners on the market, comparing them on speed, features, and pricing to help you choose the right tool for your workflow.

At a Glance: The Top 6 Scanners

1. CardSync

Best for: Exhibitors, Sales Teams, and Speed.

CardSync is a purpose-built web app designed to turn large piles of business cards into Excel spreadsheets in seconds. It excels in capturing context, allowing you to record up to 2-minute voice notes for every card so you never forget the details of the conversation.

Key Feature: The combination of Voice Notes and Text Notes ensures you never look at a business card a week later and ask, "Who was this again?"

Pros:

• •Flexible: Excellent accuracy across multiple languages and complex card designs.
• •Voice/Text notes: Add voice notes (up to 2 minutes) or text notes to every scan.
• •Speed: Scans and extracts data in under 5 seconds.
• •Export: Export to CSV or Excel.

Cons:

• •Web-only interface (no native mobile app yet).

Pricing: First 10 scans free. Plans start at just $4.99/month.

2. Popl

Best for: Digital Business Cards & Teams.

Popl is primarily a digital business card platform (NFC tags) that has expanded into a robust contact management system. It allows you to create multiple profiles for different contexts and organize scanned leads with tags and groups.

Key Feature: The "Insights" dashboard tracks metrics like card views and link taps, giving you data on your networking performance.

Pros:

• •Great for sharing your own contact info digitally.
• •"Leads" tab allows for tagging and grouping.
• •Automated email follow-ups on paid plans.

Cons:

• •Scanning features are secondary to the "digital card" features.
• •Social media fields are somewhat limited on lower tiers.

Pricing: Free basic plan. Pro from $6.49/mo.

3. HiHello

Best for: Visual Customization.

HiHello focuses on beautiful design and a user-friendly interface, making it perfect for professionals who want to make a visual impact. It offers highly accurate scanning that often uses human verification to ensure complex card designs are transcribed correctly.

Key Feature: You can create distinct cards for "Work" and "Personal" use, keeping your business contacts separate from new friends.

Pros:

• •Highly accurate scanning with human verification options.
• •Beautiful, customizable digital card designs.
• •Great separation of work/personal data.

Cons:

• •Exporting to Excel/CRM usually requires a paid subscription.

Pricing: Free plan available. Professional plans start at $6.00/mo.

4. Haystack

Best for: The Budget-Conscious Individual.

Haystack is a solid choice for solo users who want to scan cards occasionally without a monthly subscription. It attempts to "fill in the gaps" of missing information by searching the web for the company data associated with the card.

Key Feature: It creates a "Digital Wallet" visual style, allowing you to flip through digital representations of the cards you've collected.

Pros:

• •Completely free for individual users (no ads).
• •Auto-updates contact info if the other person also uses Haystack.
• •Vibrant visual representation of cards.

Cons:

• •No robust export integrations on the free version.
• •Lacks advanced tagging or grouping for power users.

Pricing: Free for individuals. Team plans start at $2.50/user/mo.

5. Covve

Best for: Relationship Building & Reminders.

Covve functions more like a "Personal CRM" than a simple scanner, focusing on nurturing long-term relationships. It includes an AI assistant that can draft emails and help you organize your follow-up schedule.

Key Feature: The "Auto-Remind" system allows you to set frequency goals (e.g., "Contact every 3 months") and notifies you when a connection is going cold.

Pros:

• •"Auto-remind" feature keeps your network active.
• •Scans business cards accurately in multiple languages.
• •Logs activity and interactions with each contact.

Cons:

• •Can feel overwhelming if you just want a simple scanner.
• •Higher price point for the pro features ($10+/mo).

Pricing: Free limited plan. Pro starts at $10/mo.

6. CamCard

Best for: Enterprise & Deep Insights.

CamCard is a legacy player in the space, trusted by enterprise users for its ability to handle massive databases. It provides "Enterprise Enquiry" data, giving you credit assessments and background info on the companies you scan.

Key Feature: It supports batch scanning and recognizes 17 different languages, making it a strong choice for international trade shows.

Pros:

• •Detailed company insights and credit assessments.
• •Recognizes 17 different languages.
• •Batch scanning modes for high volume.

Cons:

• •The interface feels a bit dated compared to modern apps.
• •Free version is very limited and contains ads.

Pricing: Free trial. Premium plans start at roughly $4.16/mo.

The Verdict

For Exhibitors: If speed and Excel export are your priority, CardSync is the most efficient choice.

For Digital Networkers: If you want a modern, shareable profile, choose Popl or HiHello.

For Relationship Builders: If you need reminders to stay in touch, Covve is your best bet.